Banana Cake with Carmel Icing

I've always been pretty indifferent to bananas. I don't love the texture and the weird strings on the sides of the peel kind of freak me out. Plus, they make my mouth itch. Also, if you've ever seen a banana tree in winter, it'll do a pretty good job of convincing you never to eat a banana again. The trees get soggy, waterlogged, and brown, and the whole things just crumple like a paper bag in the rain. It's always freaked me out a little, and since they're a pretty easy fruit to avoid, I just kind of forget they exist most of the time.

Somehow, though, I've always adored banana bread. Not just any banana bread, but my mom's banana bread. My mom is a pretty good cook, and her pound cake is second to none, but it's her banana bread that I still dream about on sleepy mornings when I just want to linger over a cup of coffee with a warm slice of cinnamon-y bread. I don't know where my mom got her recipe, and last time I asked her for it she didn't remember where it was, but it's the best banana bread I've ever tasted. When I was growing up, there was always a bunch of black bananas stored in the door of our freezer, where my mom would keep them after they got too freckly to eat-- the perfect state for banana bread.

So when I found this recipe for banana cake (with carmel icing!) in the box, I had high hopes. The recipe is handwritten by Eleanor, so it stands to reason it would be good-- I mean, my mom had to get her excellent banana bread genes from somewhere, right? But I couldn't possibly have fathomed how good it would be. Now before you go thinking I've lost my marbles by choosing banana cake over chocolate cake-- hear me out.

The texture is definitely pretty weird until the dry ingredients are added, but fear not! This is normal.

This banana cake, unfrosted, would be an excellent (if decadent) breakfast, topped with a dollop of yogurt and some sliced strawberries. But frosted with a thin layer of carmel icing, it's perfection as a dessert. The bananas make it incredibly moist without being or heavy, and because it's topped with a boiled icing instead of the usual buttercream, it's almost more like a cake donut than it's like a cake.

It's a versatile dessert that would be just as great for a wintry dinner party as it is for a summertime barbecue, and the carmel icing (which, by the way, has the texture of donut frosting) is easy to make and the perfect complement to the warm, slightly tropical banana flavour of the cake. Icing not your thing? You could leave it out and serve the cake warm with a melty scoop of chocolate ice cream on it for that perfect Bluth Banana flavour, and no one would be sad at all.

Even Judson (who, somehow, hates cake) loved this one-- and his co-workers all but licked the platter when I sent half of it to work with him. (I had to get it out of the house or I was going to eat the entire thing in one sitting, and although I would have thoroughly enjoyed myself in doing so, I figured it was better to share the wealth. Those are, after all, the same coworkers who have put up with 4 of my dumb cheesecakes at this point. It's definitely better to keep them in good graces.)

I wish I could explain to you how good this cake will make your kitchen smell, but since I can't bottle that smell for you, you should really just make this cake yourself. Tonight. For dinner.

The verdict:

5 spoons out of five. This cake is the best cake, and nothing I could say about it will do it accurate justice. Go make one for yourself and you'll see.

The recipe:

Banana Cake with Carmel Icing

the directions:
cake:

Preheat oven to 176C/350F.
Cream sugar and shortening.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add mashed bananas and vanilla.
Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately with sour milk and crushed pecans.
Pour into 2 small round cake pans, or one 8-inch round pan and bake for 20-30 minutes (for two small pans) or 30-45 minutes (for one large).
Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

 

 

Icing:

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and stir until mixture starts to boil.
Allow to boil 1-1 ½ minutes, stirring constantly.
Let cool and beat thoroughly until fluffy and light.
Frost cake after cool and eat cake with relish.

the ingredients:
the cake:

1 ½ c sugar
1 c shortening or Stork
2 eggs
1 c bananas, mashed well and very ripe
2 1/3 c flour, sifted
½ tsp salt
1 tsp soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
¼ c sour milk (buttermilk would probably work, or fake your own by adding 1 tsp of lemon juice or vinegar to a ¼ cup measure and then filling the rest with milk)
½ c pecans, broken

the icing:

1 c brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp shortening or Stork
¼ c milk

French Chocolate Pie

Eleven years ago next month, I met the most wonderful friend ever. Her name is Emily and she is literally the first person I met when I started college at Emory University. Since then, we've travelled to the mountains of rural North Georgia, the ghost towns of Texas, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, both coasts of Scotland, and the entirety of California. She and her about-to-be-husband made the trek to France for my wedding three and a half years ago, and she visited me in Scotland last month.

Emily was there for me when I got mono in Paris, when I got the stomach flu as a freshman, when I broke my arm our sophomore year. She bought me shoes for a formal dance one time when I didn't have time to go shopping on my own, and another time she shipped me an entire bachelorette party's worth of snacks in a box when she couldn't make it to mine. She never quit being my friend even when I was terrible at keeping in touch in the years right after we graduated. She didn't get mad at me when I accused her of faking a case of whooping cough to get out of dinner plans we had made, even though the whooping cough was real. She didn't even get scared off when my mom came to visit me during my freshman year and offered to do Emily's laundry for her. She's seen me at my worst, my best, my sickest, my stupidest, and my saddest, and she's never given up on me. I can't tell you how many emails I've written to her with the simple request 'I NEED A PEP TALK,' but she never fails to tell me exactly what I need-- no matter whether the thing I am scared of is asking out a boy, passing grad school, moving across the country, getting married, or starting a new job.

The truth is, Emily has been my best friend since the day I met her (when she saved me a seat on the bus ride to our pre-orientation trip and our moms cried together as they said goodbye to their two slightly less lonely oldest daughters). Now that she's been in my life for more than a decade, I have a hard time imagining my life without her-- even though we now live eight time zones apart. When I was applying to school in Scotland, Judson and I knew that if I didn't get in, we'd be moving to the Bay Area of California-- and even though I was hoping like crazy that I'd get into school over here, part of me knew that I'd be just fine if we ended up in California, that much closer to Emily.

She's the chocolate to my peanut butter, the shameless agree-er to every single one of the dumbest plans I come up with, the voice of reason on my darkest days, and the one who talked me down from the ledge on the morning I was getting married. She's the bravest friend I have ever met, and the one least likely to broadcast her own bravery. She's my athletic friend, my scientist friend, my brilliant friend, and my baker friend. She's the Margie to my Eleanor, and the truth is that I couldn't be happier to be celebrating her marriage to an amazing guy who cares about Emily more than I can even imagine.

Note that mixture will be grainy until the eggs are blended in for 5 minutes each.

Mixture lightens and gets smooth after mixing in eggs for 5 minutes each.

This week, Judson and I are in California to watch Emily and Jeff get married, and I've never been more excited about a wedding that wasn't my own. We may not live in the same city (or the same country) for several more years, but I know Emily will always be part of my life and I couldn't be prouder to be part of hers. So in honour of Emily, girlfriends, relationships, love, and marriage, I give you this chocolate pie recipe. Make it for your best friend, pour yourself a glass of wine, and enjoy a thick slice together. Or, if you, like me, live thousands of miles from your logical family, then make this and schedule a Skype session to share your creation with your favourite person. If your bestie is anything like mine, she'll be even prouder of you than you are of yourself.

The verdict:

5 spoons out of five. This isn't a classy recipe-- in fact, quite the opposite (originally it came from the back of the lid of a container of Cool Whip, but I modded it to use real whipping cream since Cool Whip isn't much of an option here. The crust isn't my favourite crust to make-- that much shortening is difficult to keep chilled, but the flakiness makes it all worth it. The crispy crust is the perfect complement to the smooth, cool filling and although I may stick with my favourite all-butter crust for most recipes, I still recommend this one here. Made with extra bitter chocolate, fresh whipped cream, and a pinch of sea salt, this is the perfect dessert for sharing with your bestie on a day of celebration, a day where you need a pick-me-up, or a day when you just need someone to tell you that you're the bravest person they've ever met. Make this pie for someone you love-- they're worth it.

The recipe:

French Chocolate Pie

the directions:
crust:

Combine dry ingredients and make a well in the middle of the mixture.
Cut butter and shortening/Stork into pieces and place in the well of the dry ingredients.
Rub butter and shortening/Stork with your hands until it forms particles like grain.
Sprinkle with water and lemon juice, work into dough, and form into a ball.
Wrap in plastic and chill until needed, at least 15 minutes.
Roll out when needed, place in pie pan with generous border around the edge as the crust shrinks quite a bit, and bake with pie weights at least 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Set aside and allow to cool.

Pie:

Beat whipping cream by itself without adding any sweeteners.
Once cream is whipped, set aside.
Cream butter with sugar and salt until light and fluffy.
Stir in cooled chocolate.
Add one egg, beating 4-5 minutes on high speed before adding second egg and beating for additional 4-5 minutes until very smooth.
Fold in whipped cream gently on low speed, making sure to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl to mix evenly.
Pour into cooled pie shell and chill until set, at least two hours.
Chill any additional filling and serve like pudding.

the ingredients:
the crust:

1 ½ c flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ c butter
¼ c shortening or Stork
2 tbsp cold water
1 tbsp lemon juice

 

 

 

the pie:

2 c whipping cream
½ c butter
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 eggs

Basic Drop Cookies

I know, I know, two sweets posts in a row. But you should probably get used to it because I've got a dessert-filled couple of weeks coming up for you.

In the pie category, we already heard from the Key Lime variety, and now it's time to move on (at least temporarily) to the vast category of cookies. These ones aren't anything particularly exciting: they're not shaped into crescents, filled with ganache, or slathered in lemon-yogurt glaze. They're not even a new twist on something old. No, these cookies are just the perfect, cake-y sugar cookie. They're the old standby that will never fail you when you need a homemade treat for a school event, a thank you gift, or just because.

Hard to mess up and even harder to dislike, these cookies are the ones to make when it's 10pm and you realise it's your turn to bring in Friday treats for your team. They're nut-free so you don't have to worry about anyone having allergies, and without chocolate, fruit, or frosting, they're a definite crowd-pleaser. Plus, they're from Better Home & Gardens, so you know they're good.

By the time you read this, Judson and I will likely be in the air somewhere over the Atlantic (or perhaps even over your head, if you're Stateside!) heading to California and then Mexico for a few days to celebrate the wedding of a dear friend. We're excited to watch two awesome people unite their lives forever, to celebrate with excellent cake, to swim in the other side of the Gulf, drink out of a coconut, and feel the sun on our skin.

But if you can't be on holiday like us this week, then make these cookies and soak up your sads with a glass of milk and a warm cookie fresh from the oven. After all, there's not a lot that can't be fixed by a fresh homemade cookie.

The verdict:

3 stars out of five. These cookies are a great basic dessert with the perfect texture of cakiness plus crispiness. Make these next time you want a foolproof, basic homemade cookie for yourself or some friends. You'll love 'em.

The recipe:

Basic Drop Cookies

the directions:

Grease a cookie sheet and preheat oven to 190C/375F.
Cream together sugars, butter, shortening, egg, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda, then stir into creamed mixture.
Blend well.
Use a teaspoon to spoon heaping drops of dough onto cookie sheet, at least 2 inches apart.
Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown, then remove from cookie sheet to cool on a wire rack.

Yields 2 dozen cookies.

the ingredients:

½ c sugar
¼ c brown sugar
¼ c butter
¼ c shortening
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 ¼ c flour
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda